Last lap incident smiles upon Anthony Sergi for World Series Night 1 win

In a race that was dominated by Carson Kvapil and Derek Griffith, it was Anthony Sergi who was essentially gifted a victory by the end of opening night for the Super Late Model World Series of Asphalt at New Smyrna Speedway.

Sergi started sixth in the event but found himself third in the closing laps. On the final lap, Kvapil and Griffith wrecked in the entrance of the first turn, setting up a green-white-checkered finish.

When race control parked Griffith for aggressive driving, Sergi inherited the lead. He chose the outside line on a green-white-checkered. He outdueled Derek Kraus and Brad May and pulled away over the final two laps.

“It was great,” Sergi said in Victory Lane. “We didn’t have the best car, but we got that caution with one lap to go. We were able to start on the outside and got to pass everybody. The car is good, but we still have to work on it a little bit. I am really excited about it.”

Despite starting 10th, May was ready for the challenge and finished second.

“Starting 10th was a challenge for us,” May said. “It was a hard race. The car is really good. I am super excited about it. I am super excited to get out and try it again.”

Despite finishing third, Kraus hopes Saturday night will be better.

“It wasn’t bad, but we have a lot of work to do this thing if we want to keep up,” Kraus said. “We are really loose right now. Hopefully we are better tomorrow night.”

Now that he has won Night 1, Sergi can’t help but think about contending for the World Series of Asphalt.

“I’ve been dreaming of winning the World Series championship since I was 10 years old,” Sergi said. “This is my hometown track and this is a special week for us. To win a championship that so many greats have earned, that’s as good as it gets from my standpoint.”

The second night of the World Series off asphalt kicks off on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The complete results from Super Late Model race No. 1 can be found below.